Saturday, December 14, 2013

Simplicity

"An artist makes a spiritual evaluation of the essence within a thing and then he[she] gets it out; that is the outer appearance of the inner essence and, it is the point. Sophisticated materials and complex systems are not necessarily good media for art because art is a simple thing and, the more simple the medium, the less you have to get over to get to the fact of the piece." -- John Chamberlain

Graphite drawing from a 2013 sketchbook, 3x3 inches

I have always loved the simplicity of my materials. I have not wavered from my use of traditional oil paints on canvas for over 20 years. I always use Schmincke Mussini oil paints on primed canvas -- no fillers, waxes, driers, complex mediums or varnishes, just oil paint and mineral spirits. Graphite on paper is also another favorite choice of media -- and you can't get much simpler than a pencil and a piece of paper.

I think Chamberlain is correct in stating that there is sometimes a disconnect between the method and materials and the essence of a piece of art, especially in today's art world, where beauty and refinement are often marginalized, and gimmicks and poor craftsmanship seem to get all the attention. I am honestly perplexed by and frustrated with much of the art that is being produced and treated seriously in today's art market. Alas, I continue to plod along on the path toward beauty and essence, and I refuse to give up on the spiritual nature of my task.

I have had long conversations with Cat Woman about whether the subject matter of much of the new contemporary painting is in fact the lack of craft, the carelessness? We are all well aware that there can be a point where the totality of artful craft exceeds the subject matter, but there's a bottom at the end of that continuum?